Ariel and Ursula feminism

 A shorthand I've come up with in feminist discourse is a distinction between Ariel Feminism and Ursula Feminism.

It's become Trendy in feminist circles to claim that the Disney movie "The Little Mermaid" is anti-feminist, or that the villain, Ursula, is actually an admirable character. The argument they make is that Ariel sets a bad example to girls by giving up her voice (this is usually phrased as "giving up her voice for a man," although that's not canonically accurate to the story -- she gives up her voice to gain human legs and walk on land, not to be with a man), and that Ariel, at age 16, is too young to leave her father's house and pursue a romantic relationship in the first place. By contrast, they argue, Ursula is an empowered, successful businesswoman who earns her wealth through fair exchanges, is thwarted by Triton's patriarchy, and is positive queer-coded and plus-sized representation.

There is another way to view "The Little Mermaid" through a feminist lens, one that centers Ariel through a disability rights and youth rights perspective. In order to escape Triton's abusive control and the restrictive environment she is confined to, Ariel is forced into a predatory arrangement with Ursula. She makes the choice to change her body to suit her identity -- a narrative that resonates with many transgender people. She loses the ability to speak and sing, but continues to express her agency and wishes nonverbally. And while her romantic relationship with Eric is rushed, this is because of the limitation imposed by Ursula, not because of Ariel's judgment. Ariel does the best she can to exercise her agency within the external constraints imposed upon her by Triton, Ursula, human society, and her own body.

So, to sum up--

Ursula feminism:

• disability, especially speech/communication disability, is pathetic weakness
• strength is a virtue
• women who gain power or wealth by exploitation are admirable examples of strong womanhood
• the best way to survive in an exploitative system is to become an exploiter
• the best way to protect young people is to keep them under parental authority
• when young people escape/defy parental authority and end up in bad situations, this is evidence of their poor judgment
• young people should not be allowed to change their bodies, because they have poor judgment
• young people should not be allowed to have romantic relationships
• "weak" people deserve to be under the control of "strong" people, and can only be protected by being under the control of "benevolent" "strong" people

Ariel feminism:

• it's okay to be disabled
• it's okay to be young
• it's okay to be nonspeaking
• it's okay to be weak
• being exploited is the fault of the exploiter and the exploitative system, not the exploited person
• young people should be free to change their bodies
• people don't need to "earn" the right to be free from abuse or exploitation by physical strength or material resources
• when young people escape/defy parental authority and end up in bad situations, this is because their environment has set them up to fail
• the best way to protect people is to give them freedom and resources

This is a pretty handy shorthand to classify discourse, and since I've come up with it, I've started seeing Ursula Feminism everywhere.

"Women need to take self-defense classes and carry weapons to protect themselves from assault instead of relying on police"? Ursula

"My disabled 18 year old needs to be under guardianship so she won't be taken advantage of"? Ursula

"Look at this inspiring, empowering example of a successful businesswoman, who happens to make her money through sweatshop labor"? Ursula

** I could've made this whole post about young people getting into romantic relationships to escape abusive parents, and the risk of abuse in those relationships, and the dominant narrative of "This is why young people shouldn't get into romantic relationships" as opposed to "This is why young people need better options to escape from abusive parents and abusive partners".... but it was already too long.

** This post is about the Disney movie version of "The Little Mermaid." I already know how it differs from the book. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT. YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL FOR KNOWING THAT. ANYONE WHO RESPONDS WITH ANY VARIATION OF "Well, in the BOOK..." WILL BE SUMMARILY DROPKICKED.